Henry Sutton IV
Sir Henry Soren Sutton IV is the 8th Duke of Newcastle, and a retired Field Marshal in the Stormwind Army. He is a trusted member of the Royal Council, a Knight of the Brotherhood of the Horse, an avid hunter, outdoorsman, and a breeder of fine horses. After the death of his first wife and mother of all his children, Katherine Maclear, the Duke married Melysa Marwyn, the former Duchess of Seastone in February of 624 K.C. He is considered to be among the five wealthiest Dukes in the Stormwind Peerage, and is the patron of more than a dozen charities throughout the Kingdom of Stormwind. Eldest son of Edward Sutton VIII, and Anne Soren, Henry inherited the Dukedom from his grandfather at the age of just 20, and has held the title for over 44 years. Like his grandfather, Henry tries to keep family traditions alive, such as the annual shooting party held at the Willow Manor estate. Titles Appearance Appearing somewhere in his fifties, the man obviously takes good care of himself, and seems as fit as some men decades his junior. A handsome man for his age, he has the posture of a career soldier, and the look of an aristocrat. The Duke has traded his armor for the fine, comfortable clothing befitting a man of his station, but the man certainly looks as though he'd be more comfortable in a command tent in the middle of some battleground. He is seldom seen without a magnificent Gilnean Mastif, affectionately referred to as Athena, and treated as if she were Royalty. Athena is an old dog like her master, and equally good natured. Personality Humorous, modest, and undoubtedly eccentric to some, Henry Sutton is a man of endless good nature. Unlike many of his peers, he is neither spoiled nor the least bit arrogant. Like his grandfather, Henry places high value on good manners, even when dealing with people he dislikes. Highly energetic for a man of his years, he believes in maintaining peak physical condition, and neither drinks in excess, nor smokes what he refers to as "Foul cigars that ought to be banned in all public places". To the hundreds of people who live and work on his Newcastle estate, Henry has always been a good landlord, and a generous employer. He hosts a Winterveil dinner each year, during which all the children who live on the estate receive presents, and in recent years, he is said to have dressed up as Greatfather Winter. A firm believer in the role of the aristocracy as protectors of the land and the people who live on it, Henry's sense of duty has carried him through a life-long career as an Officer in Stormwind's Army. Although he is recently retired, he attained the rank of Field Marshal at the age of 40, and still serves as an adviser to the King on military matters. Endlessly cheerful and boundless in his generosity, Henry is never one to shy away from showing affection for his family. His first wife was treated as if she were a Princess of Royal blood, and having spent so much of his life happily married to an Arathi noblewoman, it came as little surprise to his children that Henry's choice for a second wife had fallen upon no other than Stromgarde's former Ambassador, the beautiful and charismatic Duchess of Seastone, Melysa Marwyn. Current Developments Retirement Despite his desire to continue a long and distinguished career as an Officer in the Stormwind Army, Henry was finally forced to retire in January of 624 K.C. for reasons of advanced age after failing a physical for the first time in 46 years. For a man who had spent the better part of his life in service to King and County, retirement has not been an easy thing. Never in his life had he felt such shame, and close friends of the Duke described him as melancholy for the first month of his retirement. Forced to choose between quiet, country life at the magnificent, Castle Sutton estate or spending his time at Newcastle House while the house of nobles is in session, Henry has elected to make himself useful in the Kingdom's politics. With two sons still serving in the Kingdom's military, the aging Duke seems to live vicariously through them, and seldom misses the opportunity to attend functions for retired Officers. Taking Another Wife After attempting to negotiate a political marriage with the house of Marwyn in the Arathi Highlands, and despite failing to persuade Merridyth Marwyn to marry his eldest son, Henry has used the recent developments in the Arathi Highlands to his advantage. Knowing that Seastone was in need of both money and soldiers to defend against the horde, the Duke suggested a marriage between the two of them. Although he had known her father and brother for many years, Henry did not get to know Melysa Marwyn until the first of her many visits to King Varian's Court as Stromgarde's Ambassador, and quickly learned that she was as clever as Stormwind's most renowned politicians. Her family's storied history and list of titles near as long as that of the Suttons had made her his first choice for a political marriage. With Newcastle's line of succession in no danger, and only the honour of both houses to consider, Henry felt that an alliance with one of Stromgarde's most formidable politicians could only be to his advantage, and the prospect of being married to a beautiful and highly intelligent woman was certainly a pleasant one. On the evening of February 19th, 624 K.C. Henry invited Melysa to dinner at Newcastle House in Stormwind, and after three hours of negotiation, the Duchess accepted his marriage proposal. They were married at the Duke's private Chapel in Castle Rock within the month. In addition to a sum of more than $200,000 which he initially refused out of courtesy for her circumstances, the Duke will have unconditional access to one of the few remaining Arathi ports, and all of Melysa's political connections. Most importantly, the marriage will join two of the eldest aristocratic families in the human Kingdoms. After seeing how upset she was by the threat of forsaken blight, and the horde invasion of the Arathi Highlands, Henry vowed to garrison all three Marwyn Castles with his own soldiers, and send two warships to Port Marwyn in the interest of deterring the horde from attacking Marwyn lands. The Duke was rumored to have said the following of the 39 year-old Duchess to his eldest son: "Is she not aged like a fine wine? I believe I shall die a very happy man if I can make her love me." Memorable Quotes "We do not own any of this, my son... Our fortune was made by the generations who came before us, so who are we to squander it? We have been blessed with so many wonderful things which we have done nothing to deserve, and we must strive daily to be worthy of the task to which we have been set. We are Newcastle's curators, and it is our duty to preserve the estate for future generations." To his son, the Earl of Sutton on his 21st birthday. "How can I possibly retire when I've never worked a day in my life?" Said in jest to one of his fellow Officers at his retirement dinner. "The worst thing a man can do after he reaches fifty years is to allow his body to go to hell. I'm in better shape now than I was twenty years ago, and I owe it all to His Majesty's Army. I have to keep myself in shape or the younger men will walk all over me." Said to the Earl of Blackwood at his 50th birthday dinner. "Being an Officer in His Majesty's Army is not a job. It is a privilege, and you had better remember that. The next time I have to intervene when you've been arrested for making a damned fool of yourself, I'm going to see to it that you're busted all the way down to private so you can see what real work is." To his son, the Earl of Sutton after his arrest for public intoxication. Category:Characters Category:Warriors Category:Stormwind Peerage Category:House of Sutton Category:Brotherhood of the Horse Category:Stormwind Army Category:Stormwind House of Nobles Category:Hunters Category:Lux Vult Category:Willowbrook Hunt Club